Back to the Start
by Thornnstar
Summary: Fourteen years have passed since that fateful day and life has moved on. Sarah can't help but dwell on the past but there is more for her to do than she realizes. Jareth has disappeared and it will be up to her to run a Labyrinth of a different sort to bring him back. The question is will she be free when she does? May change rating later.


Disclaimer: I do not own the Labyrinth or any of it's wonderful characters. All OC's that this story contains however are mine to do with as I see fit. Hopefully you all enjoy what I have in store.

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She awoke just about how she always did these days with a dull headache and her back hurt something awful. Looking around her apartment you would think the owner was rarely there or extremely tidy. That wasn't exactly the case, Sarah was a mess when she was home but due to her job as a freelance photographer she didn't stay in her apartment that often. She spent most of her time traveling to far off places and merely needed a place to store her stuff and to feel like roots every now and again. It had been fourteen years since her time in the labyrinth and there wasn't a day that went by when she didn't wonder how different her life might be if she had taken him up on his offer. Of course she never regretted saving Toby, he was growing up to be a fine young man even if he was still in his ornery teen stage at the moment. Each time she was home she normally would take the time to swing back by her childhood home to visit him, her dad, and Karen. She never got quite fond enough of Karen to ever call her mom but Karen didn't hold it against her.

"Jet lag is such a bitch," she mumbled to herself as she rolled out of bed and padded into her bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror she sighed. There were noticeable bags under her eyes and her hair looked a wreck. She picked up her electric toothbrush and went about getting ready for the day. She stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around her hair and walked through the hallway out into the living room and over to the kitchen. It was galley style with a white quartz counter-top and gleaming stainless steel appliances. Setting a white ceramic cup on her espresso maker, she hit the start button and smiled as the aroma of fresh coffee started to fill the air. Lifting the cup to her lips she took a slow sip and leaned with her back against the counter letting out a content sigh. Nothing could beat espresso in the morning after getting back from a long trip. She had just got done photographing in England for a travel agency. It was a good month of travel and she was able to do some sightseeing around London while she was there.

She finished her coffee and cleaned the cup in the sink leaving it on the counter to dry. Walking back down the hallway she went into the door on the left leading into her office. It was mostly tidy except for some stray papers sprawled out on the desk. It was time to look back through and edit the pictures she had taken as souvenirs to put together a present for Toby. He had pouted about not being able to come with her due to the trip being in the middle of the school year. She had promised to take him with her the next time she traveled abroad, she figured she could make amends by giving him a memento from England and a promise that next time would be his turn. After all at fourteen years old it wouldn't be but a few more years and he would be set free as an adult to roam the world at his leisure. "oh to be on the cusp of adulthood again" she mused to herself. Sweeping the papers out of her way she booted her trusty old laptop up and got to work. Scrolling through the photos a frown crossed her face, she kept shifting between a few pictures all taken at different locations throughout the city. It looks like the same man was in each one, her pulse sped up and her breath caught in her throat. She recognized that wispy blonde hair, It couldn't be. An uneasy feeling stirred in her stomach, was she really excited at the prospect that she might see him again? Her love life wasn't exactly in the best of shapes at the moment, it had been such a long time since she had been with anyone. The last man she was with could have been the one if it weren't for his gambling addiction. Her type hadn't exactly changed much since she was that little girl reading lines out of a red book in the park. She dreamed of him more often than she would like to admit, a childish fantasy brought more real with womanly experience and an active imagination.

There were plenty of times where she would lie in bed and trace her hands slowly over her body wishing they were those black leather gloves and his hands. Touching her in all the right places, causing her body to spasm in ecstasy. He had ruined her with the expectation of perfection, no human man could hold a candle to his radiant beauty. That never stopped her from trying all the way through her early twenties trying to forget him. None of it ever worked though, she just assumed that her work and travel would have to be good enough. Seeing him in the pictures stirred excitement and also fear in her. What if it was just a coincidence, what if it was only her imagination wanting him to be there. Was she just projecting what she wanted in the photos? She shook her head and laughed at herself. "Come on get a grip girl" she whispered to herself. Clicking print on a few photos, she grabbed them hastily off the printer and placed them in the four photo picture frame she had purchased before her trip. "There hopefully he likes it", she grabbed the frame and headed to her room to dry her hair before heading out the door. As she turned the lights off in the apartment and went to leave she felt a shiver down her spine and goosebumps broke out across her skin. Spooked she slammed the door shut quickly turning the key in the lock till she heard an audible click and quietly chuckled to herself. As she walked to the elevator she felt like she was going slightly crazy, she needed to pull herself together. Was she really just going to let a few photos spook her? It was probably just a coincidence, nothing more.

As she rode the elevator down to the main lobby of her apartment building she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she was being watched. Shaking her head she hurried out of the elevator giving a curt nod to the security guard at the main desk and ran out the door. As she stepped outside she hurried to the curb and hailed down a taxi. It would take her to the train station and from there she would catch a train upstate to where her childhood home awaited. She never saw a need to buy a car once she moved to the city due to always traveling for work. For the most part her plane tickets were covered through whichever agency booked her out and the ones that didn't normally covered the cost of a rental car. A rumble in the sky shook her from her thoughts, she looked up at the sky as a frown crossed her face. Rain wasn't supposed to be in the forecast for the day. It started to pour down as she stepped out of the taxi to go into the train station. She thanked the taxi driver and paid for her fair. Wind started to pick up as she ran up the steps and into the comfort of the station. The interior was done in a classical style with white marble floors and roman looking columns lining the walls. She walked over to the ticket counter, paid for her fair, and went down the steps to the main platform to await her train.

It arrived ten minutes later than it was supposed to which wasn't that much of a surprise due to the inclement weather. She stepped through the open doors, handed her ticket to the conductor, and went to find her seat. Not long after she had gotten settled the train started on its journey to her home town. The trip would take about an hour and her dad would be waiting to pick her up from the station. She was started to nod asleep when something outside caught her eye. In a flutter of white wings a large barn owl gripped the metal rail on the outside of the train and peered in. Sarah let out a gasp and edged back in her seat. There was no way a barn owl would be able to grip the side of the train at the speed it was going and not manage to fly away. It cocked its head at her, opened its mouth to let out a screech, extended its wings outwards, and disappeared. She put her hands to her face and rubbed her eyes. "I'm definitely hallucinating," she mumbled to herself and shifted uncomfortably. She thought initially she was lucky to not have to sit by anyone on her trip. Now she wondered if someone else had been sitting with her if what had just happened would of happened at all.

A train whistle shook her out of her musings, she grabbed her gift from the overhead compartment and walked out of the train. Looking to her left she saw her dad standing there waving at her. Placing a smile on her face she waved back and walked over to him. "It's been a minute since I've seen you kiddo, looks like you made it back in one piece" he pulled her into a firm hug. "Yea it has been a minute, I brought something with me for Toby this time. Hopefully he likes it, granted its always hard with teenagers." She hugged him back and smiled. They broke their embrace and started to head for the parking lot where her dads shiny silver van awaited them. "Still have the old dad-mobile I see," she said while elbowing him lightly in the ribs. "Hey! I'll have you know it is still a perfectly reliable mode of transportation," he teased back at her. "Whatever happened to that red convertible you've been talking about getting for the past four years?"she stood by the passenger door and turned raising her eyebrows at him. "Well old habits die hard, maybe when Toby moves out I might finally give in to get something new," he looked at her sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders. "I can't give you too much flak, sometimes it is nice to see some things never change," she gave him a wide smile and opened the passenger door to get in. '_Hmm things change more than you would think my dear girl'_ he thought to himself. Giving her a wry smile in reply he opened up the drivers side door, got in, and started the van up. He backed out of the spot and started them on the way towards home. It was just a short fifteen minute ride from the station to the house. They made the trip in companionable silence with the faint sound of country music playing in the background through the radio. Sarah looked out of the window and caught a glimpse of the park she used to spend so much time in. Nostalgia welled up inside of her and she thought back to the moment she came back from the Underground, when the clock had struck thirteen. They had celebrated victory that night but when she awoke the next day she made a decision to put away her childish things. It had been time to finally grow up and quit dwelling in the teen angst she had wallowed in. From that day she never once looked deep into a mirror or uttered the names of any of her friends that had helped her win. She feared that she would have gotten them into further trouble and also didn't want to dwell on the past. Even if she had called upon them, what would she have spoken to them about? Inane things about everyday life? The last two years of high school wasn't exactly the most exciting time in comparison to all the fantastical things of the Labyrinth.

The van took a right and pulled into the driveway of their home. She shook her head snapping back to reality. Unclipping her seat-belt she leaned down to pick up the bag which had Toby's gift in it and opened the door to step out of the vehicle. Before she had taken more than five steps Toby ran out to great her and enveloped her in a fierce hug. "Your back!" he exclaimed right into her ear, he had grown quite tall and was currently just a few inches shorter than her. His golden hair gleamed in the sunlight that was starting to break apart the clouds in the sky. She smiled and tousled his hair, "I won't be able to do that much longer." He laughed and brushed his hair back into place with his fingertips, "Well tallness doesn't exactly run in the genetics, I'll be lucky if I hit six feet." Stepping back and turning towards the front door her motioned for her to follow him inside. Shortly after walking inside Karen came to great her, "Hello dear, glad to see you made it home safely." Giving her a warm embrace she stepped back to give Sarah room to come inside and relax. Sarah walked over to the coffee table in the living room which was to the left of the door and place the bag on top. Toby came over to inspect the bag, "Is that a gift for me?" he looked up at Sarah with a wide grin plastered on his face. "Yep, it is all yours kiddo," she plopped on the couch with a flourish and looked at him with anticipation. He pulled the frame out of the bag and sat down on the floor to inspect the photos. They were really nice, there was Big Ben, the London Eye, and two candid shots of city streets in each opposite corners. If you were to look very intently at each picture you would notice a man wearing a smart suit, with wild platinum blonde hair standing in each one. "I can't wait to hang it in my room!" Toby exclaimed and turned to run up the stairs to do just that. Sarah watched him go and turned her head towards her parents who were standing with one arm around the others side, "You'll be staying for dinner, won't you?" Karen asked Sarah as she turned to head back towards the kitchen. "Yes, I'll come back there and give you a hand," she replied while getting up off the couch. Her dad went and sat in a large armchair and turned the television on. "Just give me a holler when its time to eat," he called out to them. "Can do!" Sarah yelled over her shoulder while stepping into the kitchen.

Karen and her set about making a simple spaghetti with garlic bread for all of them. Toby came in when they were halfway done and set about setting the table for dinner. They all called for dad to come join them and sat around the table to enjoy the meal together. Jokes, laughter, and a good amount of catching up was had by all. As the meal wrapped itself up the feeling of foreboding Sarah had been feeling earlier had all but been forgotten. She said her goodbyes and headed for the door letting her dad know she was going to take a walk through the park before she went back to the train station to head back into the city. With pep in her step she headed towards the park, the sun was slowly setting and leaving a rosy hue throughout the sky. She stopped by the pond where she used to recite lines out of that little red book. Feeling in her coat pocket she pulled said red book out and started to flip through the pages. "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered..." she spoke aloud and as the words fell off her tongue, the wind picked up and the sky dipped into darkness. Wind whipped up and blew her hair in a flurry, "Shit!" she said with feeling as a chill broke out across her skin. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and it felt like her whole body was being charged with electricity. An unmistakable feeling of eyes bored into her back and she felt paralyzed.

"Hello... Sarah" his voice purred from behind her. It wasn't his voice she thought as her body began to shake. The wind was no longer howling and a resounding silence settled around them creating a buzzing sound in her ears. She closed her eyes and wished with all her might that this was all just a dream. Spinning around to face the man standing behind her, balling her hands into fists at her side. Taking a moment to look him over before speaking she couldn't help but notice. He looked so much like him, the same hair and arrogant smirk but, his eyes were liquid gold and he was a good foot taller than the Goblin King had been. "Do you like what you see?" he said with a knowing smile and a glint in his eye. "Not at all," she retorted back hotly, "Is it you that's been stocking me this whole time from London all the way here?"

"Stalking is such a harsh word, if I wanted to hurt you, I would have already done so." He took a few more steps towards her. She could feel his body heat radiating off of him in waves. "I see you still haven't answered my question," she stated while trying to take one step back.

"There will be no running away from me, I have a task for you and I'm fairly certain you'll accept." He stated looking bored as he lifted his left hand to inspect his nails. His gaze turned steely as his eyes lifted to bore into hers. "Jareth has disappeared.. he spent so much time moping after you when you defeated him. I thought he was eventually going to get over it and go back to his duties. He stopped fulfilling his role in carrying out the wishes of mortals and other powers awoke as his waned." Pausing he looked at the ground and breathed in deeply.

"Sarah Williams, I charge you with running the Labyrinth again to fix the damage that you have done. I will not take no for an answer, you will find that reality itself will cease to exist if you do not do this." Before she could get her thoughts together to tell him to go to hell, he lifted a crystal in his hand and threw it at her feet. It shattered in a burst of light and then everything went dark. Sarah's vision faded to black and the last thing she heard was, "… you have thirteen hours before everything you ever held dear is gone… forever."

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A/N: Thank you for reading everyone! I've had this story on my mind for a while and I can't wait to reveal more. If you like it please follow and leave a review!


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